Meats and other foodstuffs are often roasted or barbecued over an open fire. Many systems and mechanisms and have been devised to hold the foods in place while such foodstuffs are cooked. For example, a simple grill has been employed in conjunction with a pit to hold hot coals. In addition, racks have been employed to rotate such foodstuffs either manually or with a motor.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,320,304, 3,359,889, 4,442,762, and 4,200,040 show meat holding devices which clamp the foodstuff in an oven over a barbecue for cooking.
U.S. Pat. 1,359,749, 3,049,072, 3,084,618, 3,922,961, 4,005,646, and 4,583,452 show spit clamps and racks which permit foodstuffs to be rotated over a fire for the purpose of cooking.
All known prior art rotisserie mechanism suffer from the disability in that multiple foodstuffs are difficult to cook and require elaborate procedures for engaging and disengaging the foodstuffs before, during, and after cooking. In addition, such mechanisms do not permit the partial disengagement of single foodstuff being cooked while allowing remaining foodstuffs to be cooked-during such interruption.
A rotisserie mechanism which is simple and easy to use and is versatile in application for multiple foodstuffs being cooked on a barbecue would be a notable advance in the food handling industry.